From the Desk of the Superintendent | | |
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Summit Academy Executive Director Wins
2024 ICEARY State Excellence in Education Award
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Nicole Corbett, Summit Academy Executive Director, was recently honored with the 2024 Excellence in Education Award for Region 2 by the Illinois Coalition for Educating At-Risk Youth (ICEARY). She received the recognition during the annual ICEARY Conference held in March in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois.
Nicole was nominated for the award by At-Risk Student Services Director Meghan Hawkinson, who said, "I have had the privilege of observing Nicole's dedication, passion, and unwavering commitment to creating a sense of emotional safety, connection, and belonging for at-risk youth, their families and staff within the school community." She went on to add, "The transformation of Summit Academy has been remarkable and is recognized as one of the exemplary programs by the National Alternative Education Association."
Ms. Corbett accepted the award for Region 2, which is comprised of Boone, Bureau, Carroll, DeKalb, Henry, Jo Davies, LaSalle, Lee, Marshall, Ogle, Putnam, Rock Island, Stark, Stephenson, Whitehead, and Winnebago counties in Illinois. She follows in the footsteps of Harold Sweeney, retired ROE 4 ARSS Director; Mary Bawinkel, ARSS Interventionist; and Meghan Hawkinson, current ARSS Director. Nicole's daughter, Stella, joined her on stage at the event. Congratulations to Nicole on this prestigious honor!
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Summit Academy Attends Spring Advocacy Day | |
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Summit Academy was well represented in Springfield recently as Execcutive Director Nicole Corbett once again went on the road to advocate for at-risk students in our region.
Ms. Corbett (pictured right front) traveled to the Illinois capitol to join forces with West 40, RAS in Bloomington, and the Illinois Coalition to Educate At-Risk Youth (ICEARY) lobbyist to meet with 11 Representatives and Senators on this current issue. The meeting was scheduled for the purpose of voicing the needs of our alternative education programs in increased funding for Safe Schools, stabilizing the TAEOP grant, and allowing Regional Offices to access state funded maintenance grants. The group also spoke extensively with Representative Maurice West and Senator Steve Stadelman about making changes to current legislation in order to open up alternative programming to at-risk kindergarten through fifth grade students with significant needs.
A recent social media post highlighted her enthusiasm for the journey, sharing, "Spring Advocacy Day was a success! A group of Illinois Coalition for Educating At-Risk Youth (ICEARY) members joined thousands of others voicing their causes in Springfield. We were able to secure 11 meetings, including two with our local representatives, to increase funding for alternative programs and shine the light on the major gap we have in safe schools' inability to serve high needs elementary kids. So grateful to be part of this mission."
Nicole, in her third year at the helm of Summit Academy, the largest alternative school in the State of Illinois, is drawing as much attention as possible to these systemic educational gaps in her push to support students of ALL ages in our region, making alternative education opportunities accessible to students of all grade levels in Illlinois schools.
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Game-On for Summit Academy Celebration Committee | |
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Always looking for ways to cheer for success, for the 2023-24 school year, Summit Academy invited teacher Joel DeYounge to lead their Celebration Committee, and lead he has! He heads up the amazing team of Anna Hobbs, Abi Barker, Tiffany Johnson, Megan Watt, Ashley Watt, and Megan Parker. After a somewhat late start this year, the committee quickly set to work coming up with an impressive way to celebrate high school students. First up was the opportunity to reward students as they successfully completed/passed a course of instruction.
The group collectively landed on the idea of a raffle, with Executive Director Nicole Corbett suggesting the idea of including a major grand prize. After surveying students who came to Mr. DeYounge for tutoring, they decided a PlayStation 5 would be the coveted grand prize. Ms. Corbett approved, and the entire Summit staff was surprised with the exciting announcement when the PS5 box was held up during an afternoon huddle.
Students were awarded an entry into the big raffle for every course they had completed retroactively to the beginning of the school year. Students were encouraged to dive into their learning in order to have a better chance of winning. This contest officially ended on Friday, March 8th, and the name of the lucky winner was randomly drawn the following Monday, March 11th.
Christopher Sosa-Mercado, a 17- year-old student in Mr. Wayman’s class, was the lucky student whose name was drawn from the overflowing collection of entries. Mr. DeYounge shared that it was a pleasure to call Chris’ mom that morning to ask if she would be okay with him bringing home a PS5, and once the initial surprise of the news had passed, she was very excited to hear that he had won such a big prize! Chris was completely stunned and eager to take his console home and play the new Spider-Man game that came with it.
Students who did not win the grand prize are still rewarded every week. Many on the celebration committee come around on Fridays to distribute treats to those who complete courses for that week. It takes a lot of time and effort behind the scenes to make it all happen, and Joel shared how grateful he is for the team members who have been on board since the start and those who have joined throughout the year.
DeYounge stated, "Speaking with Chris and his mom, sharing the good news that he was taking a PS5 home that day, is certainly one of the most memorable moments in my nine years in education, and there will be more of these amazing Summit moments to come!" That is a certainty as they are holding one more major prize giveaway this school year. And, if you read closely, it is easy to tell it is not only the students who feel like winners at Summit. Thanks to these generous staff members for the time invested in the amazing Summit culture and the students who are fortunate to interact with them every day.
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Summit Academy Introduces New Staff | |
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Director Meghan Hawkinson and her entire ROE 4 At-Risk Student Services Team attended the 2024 Illinois Coaliltion for Educating At-Risk Youth (ICEARY) Conference during early March. The yearly event brings Mrs. Hawkinson and her department up to date on the newest intervention strategies, standards, studies, practices, and mandates. This adequately equips them to work with the most at-risk students and families in Boone and Winnebago counties.
She, along with Alexandra Zimmerman and Elmer Rice, attended Wednesday's McKinney-Vento focused day, which drew the largest attendance to date. Meghan estimated that number to be around 200 individuals. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act is structured to best support homeless youth and their families as they navigate the challenges this brings as a barrier to education.
On Thursday and Friday of the conference, all team interventionists chose their own breakouts to attend. Several from ROE 4 who attended as a large group also presented during the summit. Regional Superintendent of Schools Scott Bloomquist and Nicole Corbett presented "10 Tips to Help Your Program Get From Where It Is To Where You Want It To Be." This included an honest and introspective talk on the lessons they've learned along their journey to transform their alternative education school - from a program students "had" to attend into a program they do not want to leave.
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"Everyone Deserves a Second Chance" was delivered by ARSS Director Meghan Hawkinson, intensive interventionist Alexandra Zimmerman, and Summit Teacher Tracy Connerton. They touched on mental health challenges among students as significant barriers to academic success; school refusal; increased absenteeism; and academic underachievement. Attendees learned how ROE 4 and Summit Academy used one student's compelling story to create a new classroom called "Second Chance". This middle school classroom is in its second year of successfully working to restore and return students to their sending environment with the tools to be successful in a mainstream school.
Summit's Faith McNamee and Kevin Weaver presented "Reset. Connect. Restore. Return: How Reset Programs Will Slash Your Office Behavior Referrals with 3 Simple Steps" to a full room of interested advocates. In this, they shared the transformative journey of Summit Academy as they revolutionized their approach to student behavior and disciplinary actions. In a groundbreaking initiative, Summit implemented a highly effective reset program that focuses on restorative resolution as opposed to punative action. This led to a remarkable reduction in student behavior referrals and exclusionary disciplinary measures.
Of note, Summit Academy was recognized in the NAEA Exemplary Practices breakout as well. There were nearly 700 in attendance at the conference for Thursday and Friday!
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ARSS Success Stories: Meet Students B and G | |
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"A student I have been working with for the past two years has constantly struggled with attendance. This student felt overwhelmed in the school setting and avoided anyone who attempted to help him. Due to his lack of attendance, he wasn’t able to connect with many friends in the school, which caused him to be even less willing to attend. This year, he was referred to the Second Chance Program at Summit Academy. At first, he was not very thrilled to be changing schools and entering a new environment, but he attended on his first day. Within the first hour of the day, he immediately connected with a group of kids in the classroom. He has really blossomed and continues to come out of his shell more and more each day. His attendance is by no means perfect, but it has greatly improved. He is in attendance more often than he misses, which is a huge accomplishment for him!"
"Another student I had worked with in years past had been referred to the Second Chance Program last year. This student completely blossomed into a very confident and outgoing person while enrolled in the program. This student recently returned to her home school, which she was quite nervous about. About two months after transitioning, we met and discussed how things were going. She is happy, making friends, maintaining relationships, and advocating for herself. This has been such a success for this student, both attendance-wise and personally."
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2024 Regional Spelling Bee Champion Crowned | |
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Ananya Joshi, a 6th grader at Roscoe Middle School, took home the first place trophy at the 40th Boone-Winnebago Regional Spelling Bee on March 6th! Spelling the word "ensued" to seal the deal, Ananya accepted the prize package, which included a trophy that stood almost as tall as she is. Second place went to 7th grader Julia Kurien from Thurgood Marshall, while Aaron Austin from Harlem Middle School secured the third place plaque and prizes.
Miss Joshi is already a veteran competitor, having competed at the Regional Bee level in 2023 as a fifth grader. She shared that she trains many hours a day, but also has experience as a fan as her sister Avani placed 7th at the National Spelling Bee several years ago. Ananya was once again well-prepared this year with a consistent walk-up style, questioning mode, and finger-writing practice that seemed to help her visualize her words.
Second place finisher, Julia Kurien, displayed composure beyond the average 7th grade student while competing on stage in front of approximately 100 spectators. In fact, we thought she was actually an 8th grader right up until event time. She was poised and well-practiced and seemed to draw a few of the more difficult words. We are rooting for Julia to try again at her school's 2025 Bee in hopes of landing under the lights at the regional competition for another go-around.
Aaron Austin was a confident speller with a broad smile and fun sense of humor, briefly bantering with the pronouncer several times throughout the evening. Undaunted by the large crowd and bright lights, Aaron took home the third place plaque as well as a $100 gift card at the close of the event. His bold voice and amiable disposition are sure to carry him far in his high school journey and in future competitions.
The Boone-Winnebago Regional Office of Education hosted the 2024 Regional Spelling Bee during the first week of March in the Harlem High School Auditorium. Mike Garrigan, Evening Anchor for Channel 23 WIFR TV in Rockford once again volunteered his time to act as pronouncer for the exciting event. Twenty-six school winners took the stage at 6:00 p.m., competing for a chance at the Regional Championsip and the opportunity to test their skills at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in the Washington D.C. area in late spring. Approximately 100 family, friends, educators, administrators, spelling coaches, and community members filled a good portion of the auditorium to lend support to these 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. The Regional Spelling Bee is generously sponsored by the Eunice Wishop Stromberg Spelling Bee Endowment Fund of the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois.
Bee prepared for Ananya's showing at the National Bee by following us on X (formerly Twitter) at BWROE4 and on Facebook at bwroe4 - we'll have all the latest details about when and where you can watch her compete. Hive Five, Bee Fans, and Good Luck, Ananya!
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ROE 4 Director Participates in IACTE Meeting | |
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ROE 4 Professional Services and Licensure Director Leah Blake recently attended the Illinois Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (IACTE) Spring Licensure Officer/Specialist Meeting. The annual event allows these education professionals a chance to convene, receive an overview of where state licensure and data points currently stand, and connect on issues or advances in their field.
Topics that were spoken about included the continuation of the national teacher shortage and how school administrators in different regions are handling the crisis. They also reviewed any changes in requirements to be a licensed teacher and how hiring unlicensed teachers has proven to be more expensive in the long run, as they tend to vacate their position in a brief timeframe. Other remedies touched on were apprenticeships, residency programs, and grants.
The day also included updates on the New Standard Alignment Plan, programming changes, the PEL licensure review committee, and a discussion on students as substitutes. In that regard, it was noted that nothing prohibits students from being substitute teaches if they meet all the requirements. Interesting!
Leah, along with all Regional Office staff, make their best efforts at continuing to stay updated on all aspects of their position, as well as looking for procedures, protocols, and strategies that allow our customers ease of completion and the clearest answers for any questions they bring our way. Thanks for the update, Leah!
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Summer/Fall Literacy Pathway Courses Released | |
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Carrie Brockway, Professional Learning Director at ROE 4, and the Literacy Collective of Illinois continue on their quest to provide support to regional schools and districts as they journey through the State of Illinois literacy updates. ISBE's new Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan acts as a well marked path to set up schools and students for literacy success from Pre-K through 12th grade.
In order to navigate the new standards and rules designated through the ICLP release, the Literacy Collective has created a more streamlined learning avenue for both educators and administrators. With intensive courses available across specific grade bands, Ms. Brockway has also planned focused workshops like the fascinating "3 D's Simulation: Understanding and Supporting Learners with Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, and Dysgraphia" sessions. Offered as either a morning or afternoon option, the registration has already reached 40 participants for the morning workshop and close to 30 in the afternoon course. Registration remains open until April 5th!
Be sure to check out the entire pathway for courses that fit your needs. There are also deep discounts available for groups of 3-9 and 10+, which the PL Team refers to as the "carpool lane". Contact PLCoordinators@roe4.org for that special discount promo code, and get ready to hop on board!
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Science of Reading Returns to ROE 4 | |
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Back by popular demand, "The Science of Reading: An Introduction and Practical Classroom Applications" course with Dr. Amy Stewart returns to the Regional Office in August 2024. Last summer's 2-day sessions sold out during the first month of release, leaving educators in our area requesting a second chance to attend.
Designed to provide participants with an overview of reading science and how it applies to their instructional spaces, day one will focus on pedagogy and practical applications for embedding SoR-aligned literacy practices and learning opportunities into everyday instruction. Day two takes a closer look into the components of reading and writing development. Attendees should be prepared to engage more deeply with how the sciences of reading and writing transfer to teaching and learning. Evidence-based classroom strategies and frameworks for instruction will be shared, and participants will have opportunities to reflect, apply, and plan.
As an added treat, if you plan to attend both days, you'll save $20 by purchasing it as a multi-day workshop at this "The Science of Reading: Day 1 & 2 Bundle" link. Don't miss out - Dr. Stewart is the author of Little Readers, Big Thinkers and is one of our most requested presenters!
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Literacy Collective of Illinois at ROE 4 Attends
2024 Illinois Reading Council Conference
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Members of the Literacy Collective of Illinois at the Regional Office traveled as a team to attend the 2024 Illinois Reading Council Conference in Springfield in mid March.
The 55th annual event was headlined by impressive featured speakers, including A.S. King, John Schu, Nic Stone, Pam Muñoz Ryan, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, Clare Vanderpool, Lesa Cline-Ransome, Timothy Rasinski, Jan Burkins, J. Richard Gentry, and Jennifer Serravallo. Ms. Serravallo has also partnered with the ROE 4 Professional Learning Department in the past for a successful book study.
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PL Director Carrie Brockway, Literacy Specialist Dr. Kim Wagner, and PL Coordinator Diane Capriola hosted an info table of upcoming Regional Office opportunities during the event. | | | |
THREE New Administrator Academies Offered for FY24 | |
Social Emotional Learning | |
"SEL-ebrating" SEL Week Around Illinois Area 2 | |
And, SEL-ebrating was exactly what happened all around Illinois Area 2 during the week of March 4th. SEL Coaches from Area 2 SEL Hub contributed to a special newsletter and offered activities, resources, and information that supported classrooms throughout Northwest Illinois. The team also took the opportunity to hand out certificates of achievement and monetary sponsorships to schools who invested in the social-emotional healing and resiliency of their school communities. Congratulations to all schools, coaches, and ROEs for doing a magnificent job. | |
Continue reading to check out other good stuff from the Area 2 SEL Hub below! | |
What Better Way to SEL-ebrate? | |
Our 2024 #SEL Summer Symposium has launched and is currently being offered at the ground floor price point of only $30 for the entire day! We've invited Gerry Brooks to be our keynote speaker, and Jason Kotecki will bring his "Adultitis" presentation to the summer sessions. Themed "Toolkit for the Heart and Mind", this year's event will also feature an Afternoon of Wellness for educators and school staff who attend. We think the deeply discounted price is an awesome way to SEL-ebrate SEL Month. PLUS, we are offering registration fee scholarships with over 100 up for grabs. Check it out below! | |
Click one of the flyers above to JOIN US! | |
Illinois State Board of Education
Fireside Chat with Goldie Hawn of MindUP
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During the month of March, Illinois Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Tony Sanders, connected with a worldwide celebrity to chat about all things to do with social and emotional learning, healing, and resiliency for students. If you're thinking - what would a celebrity know about THAT?, you might want to think again.
In Dr. Sanders' second virtual Fireside Chat, he spoke with Goldie Hawn, and allowed all Illinois education professionals who were interested to listen in as well. Much to the surprise of many who attended, Ms. Hawn, famous actress since the 1960s, has her own company called MindUP, which is intensely focused on the learning processes of children.
She started MindUP through The Goldie Hawn Foundation 20 years ago, a company grounded in neuroscience. Goldie, who starred in her first TV show at age 21, suffered from panic attacks, anxiety, and depression. Her one takeaway from psychological analysis was she learned that despite these things she was "going to be okay." She learned meditation, the practice of pausing before making decisions, and eventually felt the need to find out how to help children who felt instability, fear, and change as well. This was the beginning MindUP.
Understanding that happiness is created in the brain, Goldie felt drawn to create a way to give teachers and children tools to cognitively understand what is happening in their mind and body, as well as to receive social emotional learning. She spoke extensively on how mental health practices strengthen the brain, the neocortex, and the bridge (corpus callosum). She notes we must understand the brain and understand that small tools like taking "brain breaks" three times a day to settle down, breathe, and focus can change how you feel.
She's had to fight the naysayers along the way and has worked extensively to place social emotional recognition into the classroom. She notes that we must strive to instill preventative programs in schools - staff and students must have context, to know how powerful the brain is and that it actually can change.
She added that this mindset in the State of Illinois is different. Our state has shown it wants to help and gives time and energy to this focus, wanting its teachers and students to be happy. While it comes down to time, money, and willingness, she shared that she feels Illinois has been on the forefront of putting mental health and resiliency into classrooms every day. She went on to state that while there is no requirement to do this work, Illinois is destigmatizing mental health.
MindUP is one of only three programs the CDC has highlighted and awarded. Ms. Hawn feels like it is an award just to know that she changes childrens’ lives and that actions work. She noted that just the idea of joy itself and promising herself moments of joy brings her joy. What a wonderful way of thinking!
ROE 4 and Area 2 SEL Hub have now reached out and spoken extensively to The Goldie Hawn Foundation and MindUP practitioners. We are well on the way to bringing MindUP to Boone and Winnebago counties and the rest of Northern Illinois. Thanks to Dr. Sanders for this unique glimpse into the world of social emotional learning!
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“You never know who is going to inspire you to become a better person.”
~ Dr. Tony Sanders ~
Illinois Superintendent of Education
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ROE 4 Welcomes March Hires | |
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Kara Worden
Summit Academy Special Education Paraprofessional
Leah Denny
Summit Academy Special Education Paraprofessional
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March Human Resources Advisory Council News
The March HR Advisory Council met in-person as they welcomed Ben Sondgeroth of Learning Technology Center Illinois to teach "AI for the HR Department" to those in attendance.
Takeaways from the informative AI utilization workshop:
- creating proper translations into different languages
- editing pictures for marketing/job postings
- garnering some legalese language like ADA
- generating interview questions
- creating candidate profiles
- summarizing for grant applications
- synthesizing descriptive data for trends from surveys and Google forms
- reading PDFs (not available in free versions)
- modifying directions for various grade levels to help new/current employees
- writing descriptive feedback and growth goals for employee evaluations
- developing assessments for specific positions, such as secretary, technology support, security supervisor, etc.
Further Uses:
Board Reports
- can save time for collecting information on a topic
- can look for how often things have happened
- can review IL school code new board topics/policies
Board Policy
- can save time for collecting information on a topic
Handbooks
- can save time for collecting information on a topic
- could give historical information
Union Contracts
- can upload notes from bargaining sessions to look for trends and history
Benefits Documents
- can upload for referencing faster
This was a great session and awesome to meet in-person with HR colleagues from our region. The April HR Advisory is planned for 4/9 - visit this registration link to attend! Anyone may participate - newcomers welcome!
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Careers at ROE 4 and Summit Academy
For the most up-to-date employment opportunities and information, please contact part-time interim HR Specialist Dr. John Ulferts at julferts@roe4 or search "Boone Winnebago Regional Office of Education" on Indeed or "ROE #04" on the Illinois Job Bank under the Job Seekers section. Plus, stay tuned as the Regional Office and Summit Academy will soon be posting open positions at both locations on their very own CAREERS page on the www.roe4.org and www.saeagles.org websites!
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Quote of the Month:
"Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap,
but by the seeds you plant."
~ Robert Louis Stevenson ~
Scottish novelist, essayist, poet, and writer
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300 Heart Boulevard, Loves Park, IL 61111 • (815) 636-3060
www.roe4.org
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